Monday, August 15, 2011

Using Webcams to Live-Brag Your Travel

Abbey Road Webcam

Jaunted: Sometimes there's no better way to gloat about your travels than doing it right in someone's face...virtually. This is why God made webcams (okay maybe also for security, weather and checking on traffic, but whatever). We've gathered our three favorite major city street webcams together, for your future bragging pleasure:

Abbey Road, London, UK
Hands down this is our favorite webcam on the internet. Not only is it huge with okay video quality and sound, but it's run by a legitimate website (Abbey Road Studios itself) and the thing has been around since at least 2003. We can vouch for it ourselves, having Beatles-walked across the zebra-stripe crossing a couple times, though we've yet to go barefoot a la Paul McCartney. In case you have no idea why this pedestrian crossing in the north of London is so famous, take a look at this.

Times Square, New York, USA
Have you ever wanted to watch tourist in their natural habitat, the fanny-packed masses amidst postcard shops and traffic? Well, here ya go. This is one of the best NYC webcams as there is, since you can really see some detail, get on the level with the people and begin to understand maybe why real New Yorkers hate the slow-walking tourists so much. This cam also happens to be ideal for stopping and waving to friends & family, once you've emailed them the URL.

Omotesando, Tokyo, Japan
This is a rather new camera and we hope it sticks around. Omotesando Avenue is a major, major street in Tokyo, running between the equally famous subway stations of Harajuku and Omotesando. To find the camera, look for the YouCha cafe on a second floor.

Basically Omotesando is the place to come if you're interested in big-brand luxury shopping, or if you're all dressed up in cosplay and headed to Yoyogi Park to fulfill a fantasy of being a Gothic Lolita for a day in Tokyo. Mainly we'd just use it to wave to those stuck back at home, whose closest Asian food option is a Magic Wok.